The dope-tainted trio of Sini Jose, Jauna Murmu and Tiana Mary Thomas face a two-year ban after their confirmatory 'B' sample tests also returned positive for anabolic steroids, on Friday. The trio had their 'B' sample tests done at the National Dope Testing Laboratory on Monday and the results confirmed they had flunked the test.
Taking note of banned athletes like Ashwini Akkunji and Sini Jose training at the Sports Authority of India (SAI) Centre at Sonepat, Sports Minister Ajay Maken on Wednesday admitted that this is a serious issue and they are probing the matter.
Dope tainted athletes Mandeep Kaur and Sini Jose got the axe as Athletics Federation of India on Sunday named a 37-strong team for the Asian Championships starting on July 7 in Kobe, Japan.
Doping in Indian athletics assumed scandalous proportions after five more athletes, including Commonwealth and Asian Games gold medallist Sini Jose, flunked tests conducted by the National Anti-Doping Agency. Jose, top quarter-miler Jauna Murmu, whose samples tested positive on Wednesday, another 400m runner Tiana Mary Thomas, long jumper Hari Krishnan and shot putter Sonia returned positive for anabolic steroids in their 'A' samples.
India's six top women athletes, including Asian Games double gold-medallist Ashwini Akkunji, were, on Friday, handed one-year bans for flunking dope tests earlier this year, virtually ending their chances of participating in the London Olympics next year.
Hit hard by one of the biggest doping scandals in the run-up to the Olympic Games, India's athletics team, including a couple of medal hopefuls, would hope to seek solace and redeem their reputation with some strong performances in London.
The athletes, Mandeep Kaur, AC Ashwini and Sini Jose, who were part of the 4x400 metres relay gold winning quartet at the Commonwealth and Asian Games, and Jauna Murmu, Priyanka Panwar and Tiana Mary Thomas, tested positive positive for anabolic steroids in May and June this year and were suspended, and their Ukrainian coach Yuri Ogorodnik was sacked.
List of the athletes who will represent India at the 29th Olympic Games.
Hit hard by one of the biggest doping scandals in the run-up to the Olympic Games, India's athletics team, including a couple of medal hopefuls, would hope to seek solace and redeem their reputation with some strong performances in London.
NADA Director General Rahul Bhatnagar said that the WADA had filed an appeal against the reduced penalty and the matter would come up before the NADA Appellate panel on February 15.
India has nothing to boast of in terms of achievements at world stage in athletics, but the country has topped in the number offenders caught for doping under IAAF rules.
The Anti Doping Appeal Panel (ADAP) has upheld the one-year sanction imposed on India's top quarter-milers with a rider that paves the way for them to take part in the Olympic trials.
The latest sprint queen of India Ashwini Chidananda interacts with her fans on Rediff Chat.
The women's team triumphed in the 4x400 metres relay as India created history by recording their best-ever medals haul at the Asian Games in Guangzhou, on Friday.
Images from Day 9 of the 2010 Delhi Commonwealth Games.
Neeraj Chopra, on Saturday, became the first Indian javelin thrower to claim a gold medal at the Commonwealth Games, with a season's best effort of 86.47m in the final, in Gold Coast.
Ezhu Sundara Rathrikal may have been an attempt to look at the fickleness of relationships in today's times in a humourous way but it does not have the desired effect.
